After the Blight
by DisneyLover590
Summary: The Arch Demon is defeated...now they have to fix Felderan. My take on what happens during the six months between Origins and Origins-Awakening
1. Reunion

**Hi, guys! So I promise that I am still working on The Guardian. However, after I finished Dragon Age Origins the other night and started playing Dragon Age Origins-Awakening, this story took over my brain and I had to get it out!**

 **This is my take on what happens during the six months between Origins and Awakening. I had my PC kill the Arch Demon but for the story, I do have Riordan killing him (Trust me, still trying to figure out how you can kill the Arch Demon and still be alive for Awakening)  
**

 **I do not own Dragon Age! It belongs to BioWare!**

* * *

 _One month after the End of the Blight…._

After Riordan defeated the Arch demon, Rose realized how much she and Alistair had to do. Deciding what to do about Rendon Howe's lands, laying Riordan to rest in Felderan, informing the Orlaisian Wardens of his death, and so much more that Rose was not sure if they could handle it all. Sure, she was a Cousland, but since she hadn't trained for ruling like her brother, she was not sure what they could do. She always felt like she had made the right decisions but she did admit to some terrible ones. She put her head in her hands, trying to make sense of everything that happened.

Alistair came in, having just finished a meeting with Arl Eamon. He looked at his wife, happy to see her but not happy to see her distress. He had good news for her, which is something she has not had since the death of her parents by the hand of Rendon Howe.

"Rose, Arl Eamon said that hopefully within the next month, we can move out of his estate and back to the royal palace. They are almost finished repairs in the area there."

"That's good. I don't mind staying here but I'm sure the Arl feels like we are overstaying our welcome a bit."

"Nonsense, he loves us."

"No, he loves you Alistair. Remember, you are like a son to him, regardless of what he put you through."

"True, but he loves you as well. You've done amazing things in Felderan, especially with only the two of us as Wardens."

Rose smiled at her husband, who was scratching behind his ear nervously. She stood up and kissed him, laying her head on his chest.

"Thank you, Alistair. Sometimes…it all seems so much."

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

"Arl Eamon had some other news as well…concerning your family."

Rose looked up in shock.

"What do you mean? They're all dead. Howe made sure of it."

"Are you sure? I seem to remember you saying that you were not sure what had happened with your brother, Fergus."

Rose nodded slowly, not wanting to believe where this conversation might lead.

"Of course…but with everything that happened, the Blight, the Landsmeet, and just not finding clues, I just...assumed he died in battle, like Mother and Father."

Alistair smiled, moving to sit on the bed. Rose joined him.

"He is alive. He was injured at Ostagar and has been recovering since then."

Rose started to breathe quickly, tears in her eyes.

"Fergus is alive? I'm not the last of my line?"

Alistair nodded. Rose hugged him tightly, kissing him again.

"That is wonderful news! Thank the Maker! Alistair, thank you!"

"No need to thank me. Teagan was the one who discovered where he was at and informed Eamon. Eamon thought you would like to know."

"When can I see him?"

"Soon. He will be here for when we decided what to do with the Arling of Amaranthine. I've a mind to give it to him as well of the lands of Highever. How does that sound, my dear?"

"I love the idea. It's funny. My father counted Howe as an ally, never realizing that he coveted our lands. It would be poetic that the Couslands get Amaranthine after everything he did to us."

Alistair smiled, kissing Rose on her forehead.

"I thought you might enjoy the irony. Plus, it seems only fair."

"Now let's just hope that Fergus gets your sense of humor."

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later…._

They had moved back to the palace, glad to finally have a place of their own. Rose was excited because Fergus was in town. She missed her brother, even though she had made great friends on her adventures.

But today was a somber occasion. Today they would lay Riordan to rest. Their messages to the Orlaisians had gone through and they had promised to send some Wardens to help them get rid of the rest of the darkspawn that were in Felderan. They had also sent a message to the First Warden informing them of the situation in Felderan. Alistair said that it would probably be a while until they heard something, but Rose was fine with that. She just wanted to relax for a while. She felt that they had earned it.

But they did need to get through Riordan's funeral first.

Rose really only paid half-attention to what Alistair was saying. While she had respected Riordan, she did not know him as well as Alistair did. She watched her brother, noting his longer than normal hair and dull blue eyes. Ostagar had taken its toll on him and discovering about the deaths of their parents and his own family had been a hard blow on him. Once she heard Alistair mention Highever, she paid attention, curious about what was going to happen in her old home.

"Teryn Fergus, I would also like to grant you the Arling of Amaranthine in memory of what was lost when Rendon Howe looked too high."

"Thank you, your majesty. I would like to give the Arling to the Grey Wardens of Felderan, to use so they can rebuild to their former glory."

Rose and Alistair looked at each other in shock. They certainly weren't expecting Fergus to do that.

"Brother…are you sure?"

Fergus looked to his little sister and smiled. He hadn't seen her since he left home to go to Ostagar to fight alongside Cahlin. But seeing how much his sister has grown, both as a person and a leader, he knew he was making the right decision.

"Yes. I thank you both for the generous offer, but Highever is my home. Taking Amaranthine would seem like too much for me. Besides, the Grey Wardens need a base of operations right?"

Rose smiled and went to hug her brother, whispering thank you in his ear.

If only everything else had only went as smoothly…

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 **I hope to have more chapters up soon! Please review!**


	2. Goodbyes and Future Plans

**Hi, guys! I am done school for the summer and now have a three week break until I start classes again in the fall. I am working on the Guardian but got this finished first. I am almost done playing Dragon Age Origins-Awakening and don't see this story going more than 3-5 chapters.  
**

 **By my math, I'm about 3 months through the 6 month gap between games.**

 **I do not own Dragon Age! It belongs to BioWare!**

* * *

 _One week later…_

Fergus left the following week to go back to Highever. Rose was sad to see him leave, but knew he needed to grieve for their family, especially his wife and son. Her nephew was only 8 when Rendon Howe killed him. He never had a chance to learn how to use a sword. She had loved him like a son, something she would probably never get now with the taint in her blood as well as Alistair's.

She shook her head though. These were dark thoughts and things were looking up. Alistair had informed the First Warden of Fergus giving Amaranthine to the Wardens. It would be interesting to see how it played out. The seneschal from Vigil's Keep was due to arrive within the next couple of weeks to go over how to best divide power there. She had heard good things about him and just hoped that no Howes would cause trouble.

She heard a knock on the door and looked towards it.

"Enter."

Leliana smiled as she opened the door and so did Rose. Besides Alistair, Leliana and Wynne were her closest friends, having fought together for so long. She embraced her friend, happier than she had been in a very long time.

"My friend, how have you been? It has been too long."

"I've been fine, Leliana, and you? How have you been? I thought you were going back to the Chantry."

Leliana smiled shyly. Rose had learned to be worried by that smile.

"That was my intention, yes. But I decided to go back home…to Orlais."

Rose stood there shocked. Alistair walked in just as Leliana said that and spoke up.

"Really? I though you loved it here, Leliana."

Leliana smiled at Alistair. Rose went to him, pulling him into a hug. Leliana's smile faltered a bit. She had cared deeply for the young female Grey Warden but she only had eyes for Alistair. She watched sadly as Rose smiled up to her husband, who kissed her sweetly. She cleared her throat to get their attention.

"I do and I always will. But after everything that has happened since you found me in Lothering, it feels wrong to go back to the Chantry. I rediscovered my love of music and want to go back to Orlais to teach others the same thing."

"Teach more people to be bards, you mean?" Rose didn't miss a thing. Leliana was an amazing bard.

She nodded.

"Yes. But I will teach them to be kind to one another because we are all special in the Maker's eyes."

Alistair frowned, shaking his head.

"I hate to see you go, but I do understand. I wish you the best, Leliana."

He offered his hand to her, which she took gladly. Rose watched the exchange, noticing the range of emotions across Leliana's face. As Alistair let go, Rose pulled him aside.

"Can you give the two of us a moment?"

"Anything for you. Teagan is here anyways. Meet me in the sitting room when you are done."

Rose nodded, smiling as Alistair kissed her forehead before leaving. As he was gone, she turned back to Leliana, who was fidgeting a little.

"You aren't leaving because of my choice with Alistair, are you?"

Leliana sighed. That was the main reason why she was leaving. She couldn't get anything past Rose.

"Yes. I know why you choose him. You love him and he loves you. But…I cannot stay here. I feel…out of place now. In Orlais, I hope to find a proper home."

Rose looked at her friend, tears in her eyes. She hugged her again.

"I'm sorry, Leliana. But know that no matter what, you will always have a home here with us."

"Thank you."

They let go of each other and smiled one last time. Leliana turned to leave. As she left, she turned back to look at Rose.

"Thank you, my dear friend, for everything you have done for me. It has been a great honor."

She bowed to Rose and left for Orlais, never to see Rose again.

* * *

 _3 weeks later…_

Alistair and Rose stood in the reception chamber, both dressed in their Grey Warden armor with crowns on their heads. Seneschal Varel was walking towards them with the Captain of Vigil's Keep's guard beside him. As they approached, Rose took note of the friendliness that seemed to come from the seneschal. She was still wrapping her head around the fact that people from Amaranthine could be nice, although her view is biased because of Rendon Howe. She looked to Alistair as he started to speak, not noticing that Varel and the captain were kneeling in front of them.

"Seneschal Varel, we welcome you to Denerim and extend the hand of hospitality to you."

"We gladly accept your offer and offer our thanks, your majesty."

Alistair smiled, offering his hand to Varel.

"Come, we have much to discuss."

Rose followed the two of them back to the war room, sitting on Alistair's right hand side, Varel sitting across from her. Varel smiled at her.

"My lady, you are as beautiful as the stories have told."

"I'm sure they are exaggerated, Seneschal. I'm just trying to help out any way that I can. Most of the time, I'm covered in blood…somehow."

Varel laughed.

"I see that you have a sense of humor, your majesty. That's good."

Alistair smiled at his wife. He knew she wasn't joking. She was always in the thick of the fighting, but he loved to watch her. He turned his attention to Varel.

"How are things in Amaranthine, Varel?"

"I'm not going to lie. It is a mess. With the death of the arl, we have no leader. Many of the banns would like his position and are not happy with you for giving Amaranthine to the Couslands and for Teryn Fergus for giving it to the Wardens."

"And you, Varel? What do you think of my brother's decision to give the arling to the Wardens?"

"I think it is a great idea. The Wardens have not had a home in Felderan for a long time. Why not now? But correct me if I'm wrong, you two are the only Wardens in Felderan, right?"

They both nodded.

"Rose took command after the death of Duncan and I helped her along, which got me in my current position. But we do need more Wardens, at least until we can rebuild. I have sent word to Orlais and asked them to send some Wardens to us to help hold Vigil's Keep until such a time that Felderan's Wardens are in good number."

"A splendid idea, your majesty. I can help with the rebuilding of the Wardens. If it is alright with you, I can learn how to perform the Joining and use it to induct anyone you think is worthy to become a Grey Warden."

Alistair and Rose looked at each other. The Joining was a closely guarded secret of the Wardens. Neither of them knew much about it, only remembering what ingredients were needed to perform the ritual. Rose smiled softly.

"I am fine with that idea. I'm sure that Duncan would be happy that more Wardens are being created."

"Indeed. Varel, when the Wardens from Orlais arrive to Vigil's Keep, have them teach you the Joining Ritual. Also, start looking for potential applicants. If they feel like they have what it takes, do not deny them the right to try."

"Of course."

Varel stood up.

"I do apologize, but I must be heading back to Vigil's Keep. May the Maker bless you both."

Alistair and Rose stood up, following Varel out from the war room and watched as he left.

"Well…that's one thing down. Now we just have to wait to hear from the First Warden to see who will be leading everyone at Vigil's Keep."

"It's probably going to be you, Alistair."

Alistair chuckled, turning to Rose.

"It could also be you. You led us to victory against this Blight."

She smiled, kissing Alistair. But then they were interrupted by a messenger.

"Your majesties, I have news from the north. The darkspawn are not retreating underground as they have done in the past. They are attacking in an organized manner."

Rose and Alistair stood stunned as they listened to the messenger's report.

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 **I hope to have more chapters up soon! Please review!**


	3. Looking Forward

**Hi guys! This is the last chapter in my story. I have enjoyed writing about what has happened between Origins and Awakening. I am playing Dragon Age 2 at the moment and love the story so there might be some stories from that side soon.**

 **I promise that I am still working on the Guardian but I have hit some writer's block with it at the moment. I have also restarted school and am trying to catch up on TV shows before the new seasons premiere on TV.**

 **And to the guest reviewer, yes, I was aware of that fact (after I had already started this story). However, I just took my own twist on it. I did not take evil baby demon spawn route in my game play or story.**

 **I do not own Dragon Age! It belongs to BioWare!**

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Chapter 3

 _One Week Later…_

Rose and Alistair headed towards the war room, calling a meeting with Eamon and Teagan. As they arrived, both of them bowed.

"Gentlemen, thank you for responding so quickly. Teagan, my apologies for pulling you away from Redcliffe when your family is growing."

"It is alright, Alistair. The darkspawn threat is more important."

Rose headed towards the maps of Highever.

"From the reports that we have received, the darkspawn have retreated north but they are not going underground to the Deep Roads. They are terrorizing the trade roads, making trade between the arlings difficult, especially between Denerim and Amaranthine. Both places are not doing great since the Blight."

Eamon looked to where the attacks were being reported.

"It's almost like there is another Blight happening. The darkspawn are moving in sync."

Alistair shook his head.

"That's impossible though. They should only be able to do that if an archdemon is leading them."

"How else would you explain their movements, Alistair? Something or someone is leading them."

Rose and Alistair looked at each other. Neither one of them was ready to fight another Blight so soon if the darkspawn had found another Old God. Before either one could talk though, a knock came on the door.

"Message from the First Warden, your majesties."

Alistair headed to the door, accepting the message. He started to read it, a resigned look on his face. Rose walked over.

"What does it say?"

Alistair didn't say a word, just passed the message over. Rose started reading. The First Warden was assigning her to go to Vigil's Keep and make sure everything will run smoothly until she felt that some of the new Wardens could handle running the Keep with Varel helping them. Rose looked up at Alistair.

"Why me?"

"Because you are the Hero of Felderan. Who else could it be? If the First Warden assigned an Orlaisian, the arling would be in discord because their presence was strong in Amaranthine. They don't trust them. The only other logical choice was you."

Rose looked to Eamon and Teagan, who smiled sadly at her. She didn't want to leave Denerim. It had become her home. But she could not defy the First Warden's commands.

* * *

 _One Month Later…_

Rose was in the training field, going through a mock fight with some of the soldiers. She hadn't really trained hard since killing the Arch Demon and she wanted to make sure she was still in great shape. Varel was sending someone soon to come and take her to Vigil's Keep and since it was going to be at least a two month journey because of the darkspawn, she wanted to be prepared.

As she took down the last soldier, she heard clapping, turning around to see Alistair there, dressed in training clothes, holding his sword and shield. She smiled at him.

"Look at you, dressed to train. Ready to have your butt knocked down to the dirt again?"

"Please, we both know that the only person who will be knocked down is you."

Rose smirked, crouching in her ready position, watching Alistair do the same. They circled each other, both holding onto their shields and swords. Rose knew better than to try and pull a fast one on Alistair. They had trained together during their journey and he had learned all her little tricks.

Alistair was the first one to make a move, charging at Rose with his sword raised high in the air. She put her shield above her head, blocking his sword strike and spinning out of the way from his strike with his shield. They continued to fight, neither one giving any ground. Eventually, Rose started to get tired from the many fights she had participated in all day and Alistair knocked her to the ground, placing his sword to her throat.

They both were breathing heavily, Rose looking up to Alistair, wondering what was going through his head. Alistair smiled down to his wife and offered her his hand to stand.

"You will be fantastic. You haven't lost your touch at all."

Rose smiled, looking down at her feet to hide the blush on her face. She looked up when she heard a loud applause surrounding them. It looked like almost the entire staff in the castle had come out to watch the two of them fight, especially since they did not really get a chance to anymore. One person stood out against the crowd. She had short black hair and was clearly a soldier. Her mauve armor was shiny and she carried a huge two handed sword on her back. Teagan stood beside her, his smile a little sad. Rose followed Alistair over to the two of them.

"Your majesties, may I present Mhairi? Varel sent her from Vigil's Keep to escort Rose back there."

Mhairi bowed to them.

"It is a pleasure and honor to meet the both of you. I've heard so much about you."

"I bet you have."

"Alistair, be nice. It's nice to meet you as well, Mhairi. How long have you been with the wardens?"

Mhairi bit her lip, nervous.

"I'm not. Not yet at least. The seneschal didn't want to put anyone through the Joining until you had arrived. But I volunteered to come and get you because the Orlaisian Wardens were due to arrive shortly after I left and he wanted to be there to greet them."

Rose nodded, looking over at Alistair. Aside from his snarky comment earlier, he was quiet. He nodded to Mhairi and went off towards their bed chambers. She sighed, apologized to Mhairi for his behavior, and then followed after him. She heard Mhairi shout that she would like to leave the next day, especially since it was a long trip back to Vigil's Keep. Rose closed her eyes, but gave her consent. She arrived at the door and knocked gently.

"Alistair? I'm coming in."

She opened the door and her eyes had to adjust to how dark the room was. The only light was provided by a single candle on the nightstand. Alistair was sitting by the dark fireplace, training clothes still on. He looked over to her and she couldn't not remember a time when his face was so sad, expect when they had learned that Duncan was dead.

"Alistair, it's going to be alright. I'll be back at court before you know I am gone."

"Somehow, I don't think so. You have been my one bright light since everything has happened. I understand the First Warden's reasoning for sending you to Vigil's Keep. That does not mean that I like the idea."

Rose knelt beside him and laid her head on his lap, not saying anything else. They sat there for a long time, Alistair petting her hair, until they both fell asleep.

The next morning, they said goodbye to each other in their bedroom. Rose did not want a big goodbye with the people. As Mhairi led the way to Vigil's Keep, she looked back to Denerim and the many memories she had made in the short time she was there and then looked forward to the adventures she might have as Warden-Commander.

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 **This is the end of my little tale. Thank you for following along. Since I am being slowly sucked into the world of Dragon Age 2, there may be a story with Anders and a female Hawke coming. I'm not entirely sure yet. For Captain Swan love, check out my story, The Guardian.**


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